Architecture
Investigating the Development of the Modern-Day Zoo
Zoo scholar Natascha Meuser reflects on the connection between zoo architecture and the natural environment, the balance between science and slick branding, and the zoo building's hybrid role as a prison, theater, and museum.
Why the Notre Dame Fire Is a Loss of Collective Memory
An art historian and theorist explains how places become invested with cultural meaning and memory, and what happens when we lose them.
Viewfinder: A Fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
Smoke and flames rise during a fire at the landmark Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris on April 15th, 2019.
Is There a Dark Side to the Preservation of Grand Central Terminal?
While the rescue of Grand Central seems like a clear-cut case of good over evil, the role of historic preservation in the 21st-century city can be more complex.
The Past, Present, and Future of Sustainable Architecture
In the era of climate change, do the current standards of environmentally sound building practices—developed in the late '90s—still hold up?
Can We Repurpose More Old Mental Hospitals?
The stigma attached to "insane asylums" can be hard to shake, but destroying the structures can mean erasing important parts of our history.
Could the Future of Air Conditioning Be Found Inside Termite Mounds?
The fusion of architecture and ecology allows termites to control the climate of their structures without burning a single fossil fuel.
America Is Experiencing a Front Porch Resurgence
People around the U.S. are rediscovering their fondness for a classic architectural staple.
Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Hits Mexico City
The quake comes just 11 days after a magnitude 8.2 earthquake rocked the southern part of the country.
Green Buildings Improve Health In Public Housing
Public housing is generally not good for your health, but newly renovated, environmentally friendly buildings could change that.
View From Your Ivory Tower #14
One reader who correctly guesses the campus on which this photograph was taken will win a one-year subscription to our print magazine. Also, get the answer to the August 11 contest.
View From Your Ivory Tower #13
One reader who correctly guesses the campus on which this photograph was taken will win a one-year subscription to our print magazine. Also, get the answer to last week's contest.
View From Your Ivory Tower #12
One reader who correctly guesses the campus on which this photograph was taken will win a one-year subscription to our print magazine. Also, get the answer to the July 24 contest.
View From Your Ivory Tower #11
One reader who correctly guesses the campus on which this photograph was taken will win a one-year subscription to our print magazine. Also, get the answer to the July 10 contest.
View From Your Ivory Tower #10
One reader who correctly guesses the campus on which this photograph was taken will win a one-year subscription to our print magazine. Also, get the answer to this week's contest.
View From Your Ivory Tower #9
One reader who correctly guesses the campus on which this photograph was taken will win a one-year subscription to our print magazine. Also, get the answer from the June 26 contest.
View From Your Ivory Tower #8
One reader who correctly guesses the campus on which this photograph was taken will win a one-year subscription to our print magazine. Also, get the answer from last week's contest.
View From Your Ivory Tower #5
One reader who correctly guesses the campus on which this photograph was taken will win a one-year subscription to our print magazine. Also, get the answer from last week's contest.
Unkind Architecture: Designing Against the Homeless
A subset of architecture is actively antagonist to the comfort of the homeless.
A Guy Walks Into a Bathroom...
Surprisingly, there are more than a few studies on bathroom psychology. Rick Paulas takes a look at his own.
How Prison Architecture Can Transform Inmates' Lives
More open layouts can improve inmate-guard relations and support a culture of progress rather than fear.
After Sandy Hook, Must Our Schools Look Like Stockades?
A year after the Newtown school massacre, architects assure us that safe schools don't have to look and feel like bunkers. But they also note that facilities can only go so far in providing security in a violent world.
Weaponizing the Sun: A Building That Can Melt Nearby Cars With Light
Solar concentrators are a hot weapon in the renewable energy arsenal. Except sometimes they really can be a weapon.
Do (Cheap) Mid-Century Schoolhouses Worsen Disasters Like the Moore Tornado?
At least seven children died in Oklahoma this past week when two elementary schools were destroyed. Is shoddy construction to blame?